“As India celebrates entering 75th year of its independence from British rule, Afghanistan has all but fallen into the dark ages again.”
On Sunday, Taliban fighters took control of Kabul, and President Ashraf Ghani fled the nation, leaving the administration in shambles, while a US-led military operation began airlifting Western diplomats, civilians, and Afghans who are likely to be targeted by the country’s new rulers.
Here’s how Afghanistan looks like within two days of Taliban rule.
Same country, same journalist, one day difference#Afghanistan #AfganistanWomen pic.twitter.com/mvKQzE1sIr
— Andrei Menshenin ✈️ (@A_Menshenin) August 16, 2021
In crisis-torn #Afghanistan, that is witnessing mass evacuation attempts, bizarre visuals of #Taliban taking over amusement parks and gyms have come to light.
— The Quint (@TheQuint) August 17, 2021
Read here: https://t.co/01pQu14Fee pic.twitter.com/uT0GMcViTW
A very empty chicken street in Kabul, Afghanistan. A few store owners tell me they are afraid to reopen unless they get an approval from the Taliban. pic.twitter.com/9JNkWB4uUR
— Marcus Yam 文火 (@yamphoto) August 16, 2021
Taliban fighters patrol all over Kabul, Afghanistan today. pic.twitter.com/KLX1Wc6Vmq
— Marcus Yam 文火 (@yamphoto) August 16, 2021
Video: Footage from various areas in Kabul city on Monday pic.twitter.com/oB2Zuusf1n
— TOLOnews (@TOLOnews) August 16, 2021
Erasing women from public spaces #Afghanistan https://t.co/c1daynjXj8
— Elif Shafak (@Elif_Safak) August 15, 2021
After the Taliban entered Kabul, business owners took down pictures of women from beauty salons, tailor shops and plastic surgery centres for fear of being punished by the militants. Some TV channels replaced soap operas with Islamic shows https://t.co/UY8l8QW4ss pic.twitter.com/Ho3ICnmI0W
— Financial Times (@FinancialTimes) August 16, 2021
Our story on life in Kabul on Day 1 under Taliban rule: Militants searched homes, erected checkpoints and sauntered chuckling around the Afghan parliament. Meanwhile, gunshots rang out from the mayhem at the airport where thousands hope to be evacuated https://t.co/LQV3BnruAD
— Sune Engel Rasmussen (@SuneEngel) August 16, 2021
Surreal scene from Kabul v 1: Taliban on a carousel: pic.twitter.com/ryysBnqyqj
— Sune Engel Rasmussen (@SuneEngel) August 17, 2021
Listen, I didn’t know what the world would be like after the pandemic but I did not for a fucking second envisage the taliban on a little horse carousel. https://t.co/1poL2uqXzX
— Richie (@delinquentrich) August 16, 2021
Watch: Videos have surfaced of #Taliban members doing leisure activities at a gym and amusement parks after taking over most parts of #Afghanistan.
— Al Arabiya English (@AlArabiya_Eng) August 17, 2021
https://t.co/TGmUtyAsKs pic.twitter.com/maQMOLopMw
Kabul’s streets were deserted early on Monday, a day after Taliban insurgents took over the Afghanistan capital without a fight, but the airport was jammed with hundreds of civilians trying to flee https://t.co/42izUBgIjR
— Reuters Afghanistan & Pakistan (@ReutersPakistan) August 16, 2021
Only time can tell us what ‘s the fate of the new Afghanistan.